The thought process was simple enough. If I could raise his level, his maximum HP would increase. And who knew? I might even get lucky and this world might follow the classic rule—fully healed upon leveling up.
With that hope in mind, I immediately checked the new skill after purchasing it from the shop.
[Lord's Blessing]
Description: — Spend points to enhance a citizen's level or even upgrade their skills!
When I activated it on the little goblin, a set of options appeared before me.
I could raise his level from eight to nine for ten points. Alternatively, I could increase the level of one of his skills. There was no option to directly raise his stats, unfortunately.
Still, that was plenty useful.
The most straightforward solution was obvious—boost his regeneration skill and let his body handle the rest.
…Or so I thought.
For some reason, the option was greyed out.
Frowning, I looked closer and soon found the reason.
Skill: Regeneration — Level 1
Upgrade Requirement: Reach at least Level 10 and complete the first evolution into a stronger variant.
Oh. Damn.
So these guys could evolve once they hit level ten?
Hell yeah. That was very good to know!
Without waiting any longer, I clicked the level-up option twice, pushing him all the way to level ten. The jump from nine to ten cost more points—twelve, to be exact.
So the higher the level, the more expensive it became.
That was fair enough.
The goblin's eyes snapped open in shock as his body began to glow.
"RAAAAAARR!"
A powerful roar tore through the room, startling the goblin girl beside him.
Then the light faded.
The goblin lurched upright, suddenly full of life, and let out a joyful shout.
Haha. Looks like it worked. He was practically buzzing with energy now—like he had just been flooded with raw power.
I quickly checked his status again.
He was still bleeding, but at least he would survive. With his increased maximum HP, he finally had enough of a buffer to endure the full duration.
The goblin turned toward his sister, who was still frozen in shock and confusion, and shouted something at her—probably explaining what he had just experienced. A moment later, her expression broke into joy.
She jumped up, and the two of them began an awkward little dance, laughing and hugging each other.
Fufu. Watching that, I couldn't help but feel like a rather good ruler.
Bringing happiness to my citizens… yeah, that felt nice!
Now then…
As I checked the goblin's status again, a thought crossed my mind. Earlier, it had mentioned evolution. That probably meant turning into those taller, muscular goblins who had attempted to raid my castle not long ago.
But how?
Do they have to, like, do a quest for evolution or something? Or I have to give them some kind of special item? A magic stone? Evolution pill?
As it turned out… none of the above.
The goblin began to glow again.
His little sister stared at him with wide, sparkling eyes, frozen in awe as light poured from his body. His silhouette stretched upward—taller… broader… larger by the second. Muscles thickened. His frame expanded.
And then—
Boom!
EVOLUTION!
"Yaraaaaaa!!!"
He threw his head back and roared, his voice deeper and far more powerful than before.
The light shattered like broken glass, revealing his new form.
New Variant Unlocked: Super Forest Goblin!
…
Eh?
Super… Forest Goblin?
Is that really their official variant name?
Honestly, I had expected something like Hobgoblin, the way it always went in the isekai novels and anime I'd consumed.
But no.
Still, names aside, his new appearance was honestly kind of amazing—even I was caught off guard.
He didn't look like the tall, bulky goblins that had attacked my castle before. Instead, he appeared more… human. Surprisingly so. His frame was lean and well-defined, six-pack abs clearly visible, and his face was downright handsome.
Well, mostly.
His nose was still a bit large, his ears remained pointy, and a pair of upward-curving fangs jutted from his mouth, boar-like in shape. And of course, his skin was still greener than grass.
Even so, it was far better than I had expected.
If anything, he looked like a strange blend of goblin and elf.
…Wait. Could this be because I evolved him? Had my influence granted him a special form?
The little goblin sister stared up at him in awe, her body trembling as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
In response, the goblin brother reached out and gently patted her head, a soft smile on his face.
Aww.
That really warmed my heart.
And as if that weren't enough, a new achievement popped up as well.
<+20 Points Earned!>
Oh, damn. So I basically got my investment back for free?
This is amazing!
I had spent around twenty points raising his level, and the achievement refunded me almost the same amount.
I couldn't believe it, but for once, it felt like the system was actually on my side.
The newly evolved Super Forest Goblin dropped to one knee and bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude.
And just like that, another thought crept into my mind.
What if…
I evolved the sister too?
It wouldn't be fair to upgrade only the brother, right?
So I did it.
It cost me another 38 points to push her from level five to ten. Expensive, but manageable.
Just like her brother, she began to glow. Light wrapped around her small frame, and her body started to grow—not only taller… but… fuller in certain areas.
I watched in stunned fascination.
The light intensified, then burst outward.
And when it finally faded—
HOLY—!
System?! WHAT THE HELL?!
A sudden suspicion crept into my mind. The system… might actually be cultured!
Because standing before me now was no longer the small, scruffy goblin girl from before.
She had transformed into an extremely hot goblin woman, with huge boobies and very sexy body!